Blog #358 Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water


Cayuga Lake, looking at Taughannock point, courtesy of Jeff Katris. 

We take our safe drinking water from Cayuga Lake and its watershed for granted, without considering the micro-doses of chemical compounds we are ingesting. But the ongoing lead-tainted waters of Michigan remind us that safe, potable tap water is not a  given in the U.S. or anywhere. A 2021 study from the Environmental Working Group, a  nonprofit advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., reveals a wider spread  problem than assumed: the drinking water of a majority of Americans is likely tainted by  “forever chemicals”—chemicals that take hundreds to thousands of years to break  down. Forever chemicals also persist in the human body, potentially causing certain  cancers, weakened immunity, thyroid disease, and other health problems. 

Scientists call perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS) “forever chemicals” because  their chemistry keeps them from breaking down under typical environmental conditions in the air, water, or soil. PFAS have uniquely strong carbon-fluorine bonds that cause  PFAS to accumulate in the environment and persist on geologic time scales.

A few states have established limits on these “forever” contaminants, but no federal  limits have been set on the concentration of the chemicals in water. Currently the  federal government does not require testing water for PFASs, but the Biden  administration plans to require chemical manufacturers to test and publicly report the  amount of PFAS contained in household items like tape, stain-resistant furniture,  firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, cosmetics, carpet treatments, and even dental  floss—a good first step toward reducing PFAS in drinking water.  

Products containing PFAS, courtesy of riversideca.gov. 

The widespread use, release, and disposal of PFAS over the decades, has spread  these compounds virtually everywhere: in soil, surface water, the atmosphere, the deep  ocean, and even the human body. PFAS pollution crisis as a public health emergency.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found PFAS in the blood of  nearly everyone it has tested for them, “indicating widespread exposure to these  PFAS in the U.S. population.”  

Researchers have linked PFAS with many health concerns throughout the country including kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, developmental  toxicity, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, pregnancy-induced preeclampsia and  hypertension, and immune dysfunction. PFAS can get into the water supply from the air  and water at industrial sites; they leach from disposal sites; and they percolate into  groundwater from the use of firefighting foams used at airports and military bases. 

Effects of PFAS on Human health, courtesy of the European Environmental Agency. 

The Environmental Working Group analyzed two well-studied compounds in the  population—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)— and estimate that more than 200 million Americans have tap water contaminated with a  mixture of PFOA and PFOS at concentrations of one part per trillion (ppt) or higher.  Levels higher than one ppt can increase the risk of testicular cancer, delayed mammary  gland development, liver tumors, high cholesterol, and abberant immune response to  vaccinations in children. This study examines only two PFAS compounds in drinking  water and does not even people’s exposure to these compounds in substances besides  drinking water, air, soil, household products, and food. Researchers are just beginning  to comprehend the immense exposure of these compounds.  

Regulatory bodies have not kept up with the chemical industry and country-wide  exposure to PFAS data is absence, as are plans to remove it. The chemical industry is  starting to scale-back PFOA and PFOS manufacture and investigate hundreds of  replacement compounds that are equally persistent and likely to contaminate water  systems across the country. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says aggressively addressing PFAS in  drinking water continues to be their ongoing priority. The agency has taken significant 

steps to monitor for PFAS in drinking water and is “following the process provided under  the Safe Drinking Water Act to address these chemicals.” Filtering PFAS from drinking  water can be done at both the household and municipal levels, but activated carbon  filters and reverse osmosis are expensive solutions. Many feel the cost of cleanup  should be paid by the manufacturer and not be the burden of the taxpayer. Oversight is  also needed to ensure the PFAS removed from drinking water are not simply dumped in  a landfill or river. 

Testing water sample, courtesy of eponline.com. 

Those of us living around Cayuga Lake assume our drinking water is safe and Roxanna  Johnston, Watershed Coordinator for the City of Ithaca, concurs. The city collected its  first samples testing for PFAS in the lake in October 2020 and found all levels below the  maximum contaminant level ad some were not detectable. Now we must take action to  prevent future contamination. 

Federal action is needed to tackle such a widespread problem and hopefully, it is on its  way. President Biden addressed that need to sequester forever chemicals in his  campaign’s environmental justice plan: calling to tackle PFAS pollution by designating  PFAS as a hazardous substance, setting enforceable limits for PFAS in the Safe  Drinking Water Act, prioritizing substitutes through procurement, and accelerating  toxicity studies and research on PFAS. The new administration could carry out all of  these goals unilaterally through executive action, without Congressional action. I am  guardedly optimistic that Biden administration will re-empower the EPA to conduct its  mission—to develop regulations that protect our nation’s public health. 

However, we can’t leave the health of our lake to the federal government. As residents  of the Cayuga Lake watershed, we must work together and with local governments and  agencies to protect Cayuga Lake’s water quality. The Department of Environmental  Conservation (DEC) comment period has been extended for New Guidance to Regulate  perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1,4-Dioxane  in New York waters. The DEC will accept comments until December 6, 2021 on the new  water quality guidance values for these emerging contaminants. The DEC established  the new guidance values in three draft Technical and Operational Guidance Series (TOGS) documents, which are available for public review and comment. The  new guidance values support the State's ongoing efforts to safeguard public health,  prevent exposure to emerging contaminants, and ensure New Yorkers have access to 

clean drinking water. For information on how to comment on the draft TOGS, go to  the Environmental Notice Bulletin, October 27, 2021. 

As Tony Del Plato, Village of Interlaken Water Commissioner, and a member of the  Executive Committee of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization wrote,  “Citizens need to urge elected officials at all levels of government, to endorse this  amendment. Protecting water is not a partisan issue. The health and wellbeing of our  water ought to bring us together for the common good. 

Eyes to the sky! 

Candace 

Candace E. Cornell 

Friends ofSaltPoint 

Lansing, NY 

Cayuga Lake Osprey Network 

NY cec222@gmail.com 

References: 

Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) Federal Reporting Services EPA, https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/safe-drinking-water information-system-sdwis-federal-reporting 

Addressing Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) at  https://partner-mco-archive.s3.amazonaws.com/client_files/1524589484.pdf?_ga=2. 70639696.1960250195.1635615167-869460479.1635615167

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